My advice is to check if there is a public job agency sponsored by your province/state that offer free help with job hunting.
Additionally, getting micro credentials or short-term training for niche jobs can open you up to a whole new market (eg. 6 month healthcare tech certificates so you can work at blood donation centers)
I’m sorry you experienced that. That is horrible and should never be your problem as a nurse. Security should have been there for you.
You did nothing wrong. In fact, your body responded in the best way possible for your safety. Staying still is a stress response, and while it was horrible to endure, your body chose it because it was likely to keep you safe until your adrenaline dropped and you could think rationally again. Had you run, or fought, or tried to explain yourself the situation would have likely escalated.
I know in hindsight it feels like maybe if you had done “something else” or something different, things would have changed, but you have no control over that other person and it sounds like grief was taking the reins for them. It wasn’t about you, it was about losing their family member, and you were the quickest target for that aggression. There was nothing you could have done to change that outcome, and I think your body made the safest choice of also doing nothing.
Systematically, you shouldn’t have to endure that ever. Workplace harassment and violence is a big deal and healthcare workers deserve better.
As for me, I would have balled my eyes out and panicked and ran cause I can’t tolerate that level of stress, and it probably would have escalated or got violent.